Hearing loss is difficult, if not impossible, to self-diagnose. For instance, you can’t really put your ear up to a speaker and effectively evaluate what you hear. So getting your hearing tested will be crucial in understanding what’s happening with your hearing.
Now, before you begin sweating or anxiously fidgeting, it’s significant to point out that the majority of hearing tests are quite easy and require nothing more taxing than wearing a pair of fancy headphones.
Okay, tests aren’t everyone’s favorite thing to do. Tests are generally no fun for anybody of any age. You will be more relaxed and more ready if you take a little time to get to know these tests. There’s almost no test easier to take than a hearing test!
How is a hearing test done?
We frequently talk about scheduling an appointment with a hearing specialist to have your hearing tested. And we’ve probably used the phrase “hearing test” a couple of times. You may even be thinking, well, what are the 2 types of hearing tests?
Well, that’s not exactly accurate. Because as it happens, there are a few different hearing tests you might undergo. Each of these tests will provide you with a specific result and is created to measure something different. The hearing tests you’re most likely to encounter include the following:
- Pure-tone audiometry: Most individuals are probably familiar with this hearing test. You listen for a tone on a pair of headphones. You simply raise your right hand if you hear a tone in your right ear, and if you hear a tone in your left ear you put up your left hand. With this, we can determine which wavelengths and volumes of sound you’re able to hear. It will also measure whether you have more significant hearing loss in one ear than the other.
- Speech audiometry: Sometimes, hearing speech is an issue for you even though you can hear tones just fine. Speech is generally a more complex audio range so it can be harder to hear with clarity. During a speech audiometry test, you’ll be led into a quiet room and will, again, be instructed to don some headphones. Instead of making you focus on tones, this test will consist of audible speech at different volumes to identify the lowest level you’re able to hear a word and still understand it.
- Speech and Noise-in-Words Tests: Naturally, real-world conversations almost never happen in a vacuum. A speech and noise-in-words test will go through the same procedure as speech audiometry, but the test takes place in a noisy room instead of a quiet one. This can help you figure out how well your hearing is functioning in real-world scenarios.
- Bone conduction testing: This diagnostic is made to measure the performance of your inner ear. Two little sensors are placed, one on your forehead, and the other on your cochlea. A small device then receives sounds. This test assesses how well those sound vibrations travel through your inner ear. If this test establishes that sound is moving through your ear effectively it could suggest that you have a blockage.
- Tympanometry: The overall health of your eardrum sometimes needs to be tested. This is accomplished using a test called tympanometry. During this test, a little device will gently push air into your ear and measure exactly how much your eardrum moves. If you have fluid behind your eardrum, or a hole in your eardrum, this is the test that will detect that.
- Acoustic Reflex Measures: During this test, a tiny device supplies sound to your ear and measures the muscle response of your inner ear. The reflexive reaction of the muscle movement of your inner ear will help us discover how well it’s working.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): An ABR test tries to measure how well the brain and inner ear are responding to sound. To achieve this test, a couple of electrodes are strategically placed on your skull. This test is totally painless so don’t worry. It’s one of the reasons why ABR testing is used on people from grandparents to newborns!
- Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Testing: This type of testing will help determine if your inner ear and cochlea are working effectively. It does this by tracking the sound waves that echo back from your inner ear into your middle ear. This can detect whether your cochlea is working or, in some situations, if your ear is blocked.
What can we learn from hearing test results?
Chances are, you probably won’t take every single one of these hearing tests. We will pick one or two tests that best address your symptoms and then go from there.
When we do a hearing test, what are we looking for? Well, sometimes the tests you take will reveal the underlying cause of your hearing loss. In other circumstances, the test you take might simply rule out other possible causes. Whatever hearing loss symptoms you’re experiencing will ultimately be determined.
Here are some things that your hearing test can reveal:
- The best approach for dealing with your hearing loss: We will be more successfully able to address your hearing loss once we’ve established the cause.
- Whether your hearing loss is in a particular frequency range.
- How profound your hearing loss is (or, if you’ve taken multiple tests over the years, how your hearing loss might have progressed).
- Whether you’re dealing with symptoms related to hearing loss or hearing loss itself.
Is there a difference between a hearing screening and a hearing test? The difference between a quiz and a test is an apt comparison. A screening is really superficial. A test is much more in-depth and can supply usable data.
It’s best to get tested as soon as possible
So as soon as you detect symptoms, you need to schedule a hearing test. Relax, you won’t need to study, and the test isn’t stressful. Nor are hearing tests intrusive or generally unpleasant. If you’re wondering, what you shouldn’t do before a hearing test, don’t worry, we will have all of that information for you.
It’s simple, just call and schedule an appointment.
